


not once ever since i met you

by lovetalkwoo



Series: The Little Ways In Which a Heart Breaks [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Ambiguous Age, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort/Angst, Conflict Resolution, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Hopeful Ending, Internal Conflict, Light Angst, M/M, Neighbors, One Shot, Open to Interpretation, Romance, Romance is emphiasized, Romantic Friendship, Secret Identity, Secret Identity Fail, Secrets, Short One Shot, Sidekicks, Superheroes, Sweet Mark Lee (NCT), Time Skips, holy shit my first fluff-ish?, johnny cameo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-03 12:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21179525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetalkwoo/pseuds/lovetalkwoo
Summary: In the city of Seoul exist 'Supers', people born with supernatural powers, but like any story, people pick sides, even the Supers. In the era of superheroes, supervillains, and sidekicks, sidekicks Mark and Haechan fall in love. The only problem? the work for the Supers on opposite sides.orwhere, despite everything, they still manage.#S033





	not once ever since i met you

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt emphasizes more on the conflict between the sides of the Supers, but I have decided to change it a little to focus more on the relationship of the characters. In short, the Romance part of the story and the internal conflict is more emphasized while the 'Supers on opposite sides' are more implied.

mark pointed his flashlight at his neighbor’s room and flicked it on and off rapidly, trying hard to grab the attention of the boy next door. but, to mark’s dismay, donghyuck didn’t seem to be home.

_ “do you honestly think that these people can be reformed?” haechan had scoffed as they exited the meeting room earlier today, “have you heard of the saying, ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’? this ‘man’ you’re trying to save has killed twelve people and injured almost a hundred. how can you preach for forgiveness under these circumstances?” _

mark rolled his eyes, unable to get the little monologue out of his head as he continued at donghyuck’s room.

on, off, on, off.

_ “those ‘supers’ don’t need a ‘second chance’. what they need is to be gotten rid of for the problems they’ve caused to the city of seoul and the lives they’ve taken from families.” haechan stated, cornering mark as they left, “we’ve already decided what will be done to him, why do you care?” _

_ “and how come you don’t? you say you’re fighting to protect the people, but when you’re faced with someone who needs your help, you choose to cut them off from society.” mark had argued back, realizing haechan would never understand. _

_ haechan rolled his eyes at mark’s remark. “had it been your family? or a friend? would you want to see the person who took their lives to walk free for what they’ve done?” _

_ “oh please, like you fucking care. you just want to see them eliminated so you can feel like you’ve made a difference.” haechan never understood and he won’t ever try to. “have you heard of the saying, ‘willing is not enough, we must do’? if we don’t help them, change them, then we will always be fighting ‘their kind’ as you put it.” _

_ “listen here,” the corner began to shrink, “what are you even trying to do? you’re supposed to be the senior sidekick to someone who protects the people, not people who use their superpowers for evil. mark, forget it. just concentrate on graduating.” _

_ just concentrate on graduating. _

“asshole.” mark tiredly muttered, not noticing the little man struggling through the bushes just a floor down.

“what?”

_ what? _

“hyuck?” mark looked down at the moving shadow. straining his eyes to make sense of the shapes, “is that you?”

“what the fuck are you doing in the dark?” the voice laughed, maybe a little too loud, “something happened at work again?” donghyuck pointed at the flashing light.

mark smiled, finally letting go of his morning occupation and returning to just being the neighbor boy, “where have you been?” he asked as  _ minhyung _ .

“give me a second.” donghyuck fought his way out of the hedges that separated the two homes. even in the dark, he could see hyuck’s goofy grin that he had come to adore. hyuck pulled out the key to his backdoor and jingled it for him to see, “i’ll be up soon.”

_ and i’ll be waiting here. _

mark watched as parts of his neighbor’s house began to light up and darken as donghyuck made his way upstairs. he smiled, missing the feeling of confusion the first time he saw that happening.

_ “um,” mark stretched the syllable as he stood, dazed while the lights of the neighboring house flickered on and off as if following the movement of somebody, “where the fuck is my phone?” _

he remembered searching around for it. patting all the corners of his room — to no avail —  _ he had left it at work that night _ .

_ “fuck,” there was a lot of shaking, mostly in mark’s hand, as he looked for the next best thing. but the light was drawing near and the only thing that mark could find was the flashlight by his nightstand, “don’t move.” mark demanded, pointing the blinding light at the poor, frightened boy next door, “who are you?" _

but that was two years ago. six months after he had moved into this shared home. six months after he became taeyong’s sidekick. six months after he had adopted the persona, ‘mark’.

things have changed since then.

_ big things. _

for one, seeing his neighbor’s light switch on and off like that no longer freaked him out.

“okay,” hyuck huffed as he pulled his window up, “so, what happened?”

throughout the two years, it just slowly became hyuck.

and with hyuck, came  _ minhyung _ .

the boy who lived next door to the debate club genius, lee donghyuck. the boy who held a normal job like all non-supers. the boy who sometimes gave donghyuck little kisses when he couldn’t sleep. the boy that didn’t have to worry about what to do with supernatural criminals.

and sometimes, mark really just wanted to be minhyung and nothing else.

“i’m fine now.” minhyung reached out to fix hyuck’s hair.

“are you sure?”

no he wasn’t. of course he didn’t feel fine.

but, he was willing to push past all that and just be the minhyung that didn’t have to worry about ‘mark’ until the sunrise. 

“yeah, i don’t want to talk about what happened at work today anyway.”

donghyuck reached up to take  _ minhyung’s _ hand away from his hair, “but, you always say that. minnie...” and enveloped it in his own.

“i feel much better already.” minhyung smiled softly and squeezed hyuck’s hand.

it felt warm and homely. the perfect size. all of hyuck’s fingers fell perfectly into minhyung’s. this was the hand that belonged to the boy next door. the boy that minhyung had fallen in love with over the past two years.

hyuck continued, “don’t say that. you need to give yourself air to breathe, too.” he peeled his hair behind his ears and exaggeratingly leaned over with a smile running across his face, “go ahead, i’m listening.”

“just tell me about your day.” minhyung giggled at the sight and lightly pushed at hyuck’s shoulder.

“but i always tell you about my day. i won during the debate club today.  _ again _ . my opponent’s not good at what he does.” hyuck scrunched his nose as he pulled back from his exaggerated posture spitting words without knowing a single thing about debate club. thankfully, neither did mark, “i want to hear about minhyung’s day.” he teased, to which minhyung only blushed and said nothing.

“then, let me come over at least.” hyuck bargained, leaning his head back and beating at his back as if it was sore, “i hate leaning like this. gives me back pain.”

“and climbing between houses will help?”

“oh, come on. it’s been a while since i came over; don’t you want me over?”

of course, minhyung did. to have hyuck in between his arms on a night as miserable as this one. to cuddle up and listen to hyuck ramble on, barely awake, about how this kid in his debate club needed to take a step back before he picked a fight with him.

minhyung couldn’t even imagine turning down the opportunity to have all of it.

“i’m teasing, of course, i do.” minhyung smiled and stretched his hands out to meet hyuck’s, “come on, be careful.” the neighboring boy’s hands were firmly in his, smiles just inches apart, “careful, now.” minhyung whispered softly, trying to calm himself more than anyone else, “i don’t want you to get hurt again.”

but donghyuck only hushed him, “don’t worry, _ i’ve got you. _ ”

☾

“we’re just going to lie in silence, huh?” hyuck was playing with the collar of minhyung’s uniform, again. foreheads inches from each other as they laid in silence, just wrapping the presence of the other person around them. it felt like right.

familiar.

good.

“i like us like this.” minhyung yawned and stretched his arms above his head, curling against the frame of the bed, before rolling them back around hyuck again. tighter than before, “feels good.”

“keeping it in isn’t good for you,” hyuck frowned as he found his way out of minhyung’s embrace. he sat up, facing minhyung who remained on his back, watching the small movements in hyuck’s body language. like the smallest quiver of his bottom lip or the most subtle pattern in his breathing. how he came this close to being able to call the man in front of him ‘his’ still manages to confuse minhyung. even after all this time, “if i’m correct,” hyuck started again, parting minhyung’s hair, “you’ve been saying this for the past year already. you need to give yourself space to breathe, too. it can’t just be about me all the time.”

except,  _ yes, it can _ .

it always can.

minhyung reached up to brush the hair on the side of hyuck’s face behind his ears, “why not?” minhyung asked, thumb tracing his partner’s cheeks.

“because it makes me sad,” hyuck snuggled deep into the palms of minhyung’s hand, “that you think so little of yourself that you don’t even feel the need to give yourself enough space to let go of worries.”

“it’s not that. i just prefer to hear about your day and what you have to say.”

“but what if i want to hear about  _ your _ day and what  _ you  _ have to say?” hyuck pressed, his fingers caressing the back of minhyung’s hand, “what then?”

“then i’ll hold you close,” minhyung reached up to softly persuade hyuck to lie back down — which he did reluctantly. “and tell you about it.” he held hyuck close, snuggling him into the nook of his neck, “how about that?”

“i’d love that.”

“where do you want me to begin?”

“from the beginning.”

“from the beginning?” minhyung thought for a while, “won’t that be boring for you?”

“are you kidding me?” hyuck laughed, trying to ease minhyung, “you will never be boring for me.”

“are you sure?”

hyuck nodded. and it was true. minhyung seldom made hyuck feel uncomfortable or bored.

if anything, it was the opposite.

minhyung always knew the right things to say and do.

whenever hyuck was having trouble with his co-workers, minhyung kept things light and bouncy to get him to temporarily forget his mess of a day until he was finally ready to confront it.

and on days where hyuck’s work drove him insane, minhyung was always ready with a hug or two and an open mind.

_ he was a really good listener _ , hyuck realized.

sometimes, he wishes he could just tell minhyung about his day without any concealing. no fake debate club. just the truth about what he does for a living. the names of his co-workers and which one of them was bugging him that day.

just like normal people and their office problems.

“okay. from the beginning…” minhyung trailed off and hyuck gave him all the time in the world. the night was still young, “you know that i work as a private investigator, right?”

hyuck hummed a soft confirmation.

“well,” minhyung continued as he rested his head on top of hyuck’s, “we have this guy on our fieldwork team,” slowly getting more and more into his own story, “we were never really on good terms. i think it’s mostly because we’re so different. from our work ethic to our morals. everything we stood for was opposite.” minhyung sighed, “he makes work a little difficult at times.” hyuck groaned thinking of his own version of this co-worker before muttering a small something like ‘i totally understand’.

“anyway, a few days ago, we caught this ‘bad guy’ and it was supposed to be something to celebrate, because — you know — we’ve been chasing him for a while now and we finally caught him. and we were going to celebrate but then the conversation of what we were going to do with the convict was brought up. and then all of a sudden, the office turned into a debate session. but what ticked me off was that the person that i had just mentioned to you — the guy on the fieldwork team?” hyuck nodded into minhyung’s chest in response, “maybe he was bored, i don’t know. but out of nowhere, he singled me out. and for what?” minhyung pouted bitterly, thinking back to what had happened earlier today. “he always does that out of nowhere. fuck, i fucking hate him.” minhyung rolled his eyes.

“hate’s a strong word.” hyuck yawned. but it wasn’t like he couldn’t disagree. he’d hate it too if someone had continuously, for two whole years, singled him out like that. “what did he even say, anyway?”

minhyung sucked at his own teeth in annoyance, “he said something along the lines of: ‘get your priorities straight, we’re here to protect the people, not the criminals.’”

_ get your priorities straight, we’re here to protect the people not the criminals. _

“ _ what? _ ”

“i know, right? what an_ asshole_.” minhyung agreed blankly, completely misinterpreting the tone in hyuck’s voice.

“no, no, no, no.”

“hmm?” minhyung abruptly turned to face hyuck, “something wrong?”

“could you repeat that?”

“repeat what?” he reached his hands to brush hyuck’s bangs, “do you need something?”

hyuck hoped that this was just a sick coincidence. that minhyung would prove his intuitions wrong. that they just happened to have gone through insanely similar events but in different places.

all within the past twenty-four hours.

_ it had to be. _

“could you repeat what your co-worker said?”

“sure,” minhyung smiled softly, hooking hyuck’s outgrown bangs behinds his burning ears. god, the night was loud.

“he said…”

like, really loud. so loud it drowned out the sound of hyuck’s heart as he pounced recklessly against his ribs.

“ _ get your priorities straight, _ ”

the rhythm of dread danced in his eardrums as hyuck watched minhyung utter the last bit of the sentence, “_we’re here to protect the people, not the criminals._”

fuck.

_ hyuck had remembered combusting in the middle of the ongoing debate and broke the argument. all eyes were on him, but his eyes were only on one person, “fuck. you know full well that what this criminal did was wrong. why the fuck are you defending him? get your priorities straight, we’re here to protect the people, not the criminals.” easy target: mark lee. _

“why? something wrong about it?”

“nothing,” hyuck slowly shook his head and relaxed his muscles. “i guess i was just tired from school today and didn’t really hear all the details. i’m sorry.” hyuck lied naturally as he snuggled into minhyung, “it’s been a long day.” and it seemed to be getting longer by the minute.

there was a pause as minhyung tried his best to see what was wrong. but nothing out of the norm showed up. hyuck was normal. just tired, like he said, but nothing more. he kissed hyuck on the forehead, “it’s okay.” and stopped asking questions. 

_ maybe it was all a coincidence.  _ hyuck continued to hope that it was just one sick coincidence.

☾

“goodnight,” hyuck sighed, their hands swinging in the empty space between their windows, “i really have to go. i have school tomorrow and you have work.” he felt heavy all over.

“get some rest okay? you look really tired.” minhyung gave hyuck’s hand a squeeze, “goodnight, hyuck.”

it must be a coincidence.

_ how could his minhyung be mark lee? _

“goodnight.” he smiled back, the thought still running through his head. he tried to convince himself that it was all stupid. after all, nothing had been confirmed.

but … that was the thing, too.

_ nothing was confirmed _ .

and hyuck wasn’t sure if he could bear not knowing.

“minhyung,” hyuck flickered his own lights, watching his neighbor toss and turn before sitting up to face him. god, minhyung’s face was so soft, with blemished corners that hyuck just couldn’t get enough of. this couldn’t be the same ‘debate class boy’ that  _ haechan just couldn’t stand _ , “what’s the name of your co-worker?”

“hmm?” minhyung rubbed his tired eyes, “ _ his name’s haechan _ , why?”

“nothing. sorry. goodnight.”

_ hyuck wished he had just left it at not knowing _ .

☾

fuck.

_ minhyung’s co-worker was hyuck. _

_ hyuck’s ‘debate club boy’ was minhyung. _

no, you don’t understand.

** _minhyung’s co-worker was hyuck and hyuck’s ‘debate club boy’ was minhyung._ **

hyuck pedaled harder in the opposite direction, in the wrong direction, in the direction away from the headquarter.

because fuck.

he really wished he had just left it at not knowing.

☾

haechan wasn’t there today.

all day.

he never showed up.

no one knew why.

haechan’s mentor called in to check on him, but all johnny got to was his voicemail, _ “he’s lucky today wasn’t his field day.” _

mark smiled. he doesn’t think he’s ever been this happy before.

☾

mark tried calling hyuck’s phone. after waiting by his windows for what seemed like two eternities and a half, still going on. but nothing. what started out as waiting to tell him the good news about how haechan decided to skip work today had slowly turned into a series of holy fuck, where are you?

constantly just going on a loop inside mark’s head.

_ the voices just won’t stop chanting. _

hyuck’s voicemail was starting to fill up and there were still no signs of him.

he should’ve been home by now.

☾

“ _ hyuck, where are you? it’s getting late now. later than usual. i’m just worried. call me or text me when you get the message okay? _ ”

hyuck didn’t.

“ _ hyuck, i miss you. just send me a text so i know you’re okay. _ ”

hyuck felt sick.

“ _ hyuck, i’m worried, please text me. or call me. _ ”

there was one every hour after ten up until midnight. then, they became even more frequent. one every thirty minutes, then fifteen. hyuck watched as his voicemail slowly ran out of storage. until there were no space left for  _ mark _ to tell hyuck that he was worried.

hyuck played the voicemails and then played them over again without being able to separate mark from minhyung. there was just this part of him that felt as though he should’ve known or at least suspected this realization that  _ mark  _ was  _ minhyung _ . every time hyuck looked back at the little details he had noticed over the two years, it becomes just that more uncomfortably clear. just staring at him in the face,  _ cackling _ .

from the way minhyung—

from the way  _ mark… _

_ fuck _ .

hyuck couldn’t even think straight anymore.

_ “who are you?” hyuck thought back to the first time he met mark. it seemed only suitable that he had been crying under the accusing shimmer of his neighbor’s flashlight. _

god, all hyuck wanted to do right now was rewind all the way back to the beginning and delete it all.

change everything up so that they’d never get to this point in time.

he wished he had left the windows and drapes closed, the way he had shut them in mark’s face that night. so that mark couldn’t come back the night after to apologize for him intruding on hyuck’s business. so that he couldn’t wave it off, telling mark it’s fine. so that they couldn’t get into that conversation that night.

the one that kickstarted everything that came after it.

_ “i live here, asshole, _ ”  _ he remembered spitting back, still unable to see because of the flashlight. _

he should’ve just left it at that.

“oh my god, hyuck… where are you?” mark's voice poured through the speaker as hyuck pressed the green button.

there was a silence.

hyuck wanted to hang up. but there was something that kept him from doing it. maybe it was the way mark’s voice trembled or the way his breath was running straight up against hyuck’s eardrum. the way he sounded so fucking lost.

“i was worried.”

“i know, i’m sorry. i fell asleep at the library and only just woke up.” hyuck bit his bottom lip, hoping that it was a convincing excuse.

“you got me so fucking worried.”

“i know.”

“jesus fuck, please just come home.”

“i will.”

“no, don’t.” mark sighed, “let me go and get you.”

“that’s okay. school’s close by.”

there was a pause. mark’s breath was slowing, “come home. soon. i miss you.”

“i promise.”

hyuck wish he hadn’t said that so fast because he had no plans. he had spent the entire day all up in his own head and he still hasn’t decided whether he was going to tell  _ mark _ about his discoveries.

he wishes the ride home would stretch forever. far beyond the five minutes, he knew it would take.

_ god. _

☾

mark’s light flickered on as soon as he heard the bush between their houses rustle, “hyuck?” he whispered blindly, “is that you?” just as his phone buzzed and kept buzzing, “hello?” he whispered into the phone.

“it’s me. you don’t have to whisper.”

“you came home.”

“of course.”

“i missed you.”

hyuck stopped in his track, hands retracting from his keys as he looked up at mark. who was leaning against the frames of his window, who was leaning out with a little sad smile reflecting the streetlamps, and who was waving at him — flashlight and all.

“i missed you, too. sorry i kept you waiting.”

mark shooked his head, “you’re safe and that’s all that mattered.”

and suddenly, the thought that took hyuck all day to process condensed into a simple answer right at the sight of mark as he reached for his keys and jingled it for mark to see.

the answer was simple.

hyuck hung up the phone and made his way up the stairs.

☾

not once ever since they’d met did hyuck imagine that he’d be holding the very same person that he’d pick on during the day. neither did he imagine that the tired, homely smile just inches away from his face would be the same one that he had found so incredibly stupid just three hours prior on a normal day.

but here they were. after mark gave his little lecture about staying out late and hyuck countered it by asking why mark didn’t just come and look for him himself. just in each others’ arms. waiting out the moon.

“something’s bothering you?”

“nothing.” hyuck brushed away the loose strands of hair on mark’s forehead, “i cherish you.”

mark’s smile grew just a tiny bit wider, “ _ i cherish you too,  _ ** _hyuck_ ** _ . _ ”

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter |](https://twitter.com/lovetalkwoo) [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/bbywoo)


End file.
